Spiffy:

Iffy:

A visual step up from the last game, but still a bit lacking; haven't gotten to play for ourselves.

If there's one thing that Activision's Call of Duty series is famous for, it's the element that they like to call "cinematic intensity". This is exactly what you'd expect it to be: visceral, fast-paced first-person action that's been combined with a sweeping score and is presented on a grand scale. Although the PC games have successfully given gamers exactly that, the first console game in the franchise didn't always deliver the goods. It appears, however, that the developers at Treyarch have taken note of Finest Hour's shortcomings, and they've teamed up with some of the members of the Grey Matter team (who worked on the United Offensive PC expansion) in an attempt to make Call of Duty 2: Big Red One the game that fans have been waiting for.

We recently got a chance to sit down for an extended demo of Big Red One, and it looks like we'll be seeing a game that's unique in many ways, which is no small feat for an entry in the crowded WWII shooter genre. Big Red One follows the titular company for nearly 3 years, as they make their way from the sands of North Africa to the heart of Germany. The Fighting First was known for being the first into some of the most challenging situations of the war, gaining the reputation as some of the U.S.'s bravest soldiers along the way.

This is the first time in the entire Call of Duty series that you'll be controlling the same character from start to finish, which allowed the developers to implement some interesting mechanics. Since you'll be fighting alongside the same men over a 3 year span, you'll actually be able to see them change as you progress through the game. Although some of the changes will be physical (for instance, characters will age, their faces will changes, and they'll keep battle scars), you'll notice other differences, as well. When you first enter battle, your squadmates will sound panicked and most likely won't use proper tactics. By the time you're near the end, however, they'll be calm and collected on the battlefield.

One of the biggest qualms that many people had with Finest Hour was with the AI system, which didn't always perform the way that it was expected to. Thanks to the addition of the Grey Matter team, however, all of the AI issues appear to have been fixed. The game now uses a slightly modified version of the AI system that was in the PC game, and both your enemies and squadmates will now act more realistically, especially when it comes to taking cover and performing more advanced maneuvers. Your squadmates' AI will actually get better as they experience more combat, just as they would in real life.